EMLA Cream - 5% Lidocaine / Prilocaine (30g)

EMLA Cream - 5% Lidocaine / Prilocaine (30g)

What is EMLA Cream is and what is it used for?

EMLA Cream contains two active substances called lidocaine and prilocaine. These belong to the group of medicines called local anaesthetics.

EMLA Cream works by numbing the surface of the skin for a short time. It is put on the skin before certain medical procedures. This helps to stop pain on the skin, however you may still have the feelings of pressure and touch.

Adults, Adolescents and Children

It can be used to numb the skin before:

• Having a needle put in (for example, if you are having an injection or a blood test).
• Minor skin operations.

What you need to know before you use EMLA Cream

• Do not use EMLA Cream if you are allergic to lidocaine or prilocaine, other similar local anaesthetics or any of the other ingredients of this medicine.

Warnings and precautions

Talk to your doctor, pharmacist or nurse before using EMLA Cream:

• If you or your child have a rare inherited illness that affects the blood called ‘glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency’.
• If you or your child have a problem with blood pigment levels called “methaemoglobinaemia”.
• Do not use EMLA Cream on areas with skin rash, cuts, grazes or other open wounds, with the exception of a leg ulcer. If any of these problems are present, check with your doctor, pharmacist or nurse before using the cream.
• If you or your child have an itchy skin condition called ‘atopic dermatitis’, a shorter application time may be sufficient. Application times of longer than 30 minutes may result in an increased incidence of local skin reaction.
• If you take particular products for heart rhythm disorders (class III antiarrhythmics, such as amiodarone). In that case the doctor will monitor your heart function.

Due to the potentially enhanced absorption on the newly shaven skin, it is important to follow the recommended dosage, skin area and application time.

Avoid getting EMLA Cream in the eyes, as it may cause irritation. If you accidentally get EMLA Cream in your eye, you should immediately rinse it well with lukewarm water or salt (sodium chloride) solution. Be careful to avoid getting anything in your eye until feeling returns.

EMLA Cream should not be applied to an impaired eardrum.

When you use EMLA Cream before being vaccinated with live vaccines (e.g. tuberculosis vaccine), you should return to your doctor or nurse after the time period requested to follow-up the vaccination result.

How to use EMLA Cream

Always use EMLA Cream exactly as described in this leaflet or as your doctor, pharmacist or nurse has told you. Check with your doctor, pharmacist or nurse if you are not sure.

Using EMLA Cream

Where to put the cream, how much to use and how long to leave it on will depend on what it is used for. One gram of EMLA Cream pressed out of a tube of 30g is approximately 3.5cm.

• EMLA Cream should be used on the genitals only by a doctor or nurse.
• When EMLA Cream is used on leg ulcers, a doctor or nurse should supervise its use.

Do not use EMLA Cream on the following areas:

• Cuts, grazes or wounds, excluding leg ulcers.
• Where there is a skin rash or eczema.
• In or near the eyes
• Inside the nose, ear or mouth.
• In the back passage (anus).
• On the genitals of children.

How to store EMLA Cream

• Keep this medicine out of the sight and reach of children.
• Do not store above 30°C and do not freeze.
• Do not use this medicine after the expiry date which is stated on the package and tube after ‘EXP:’. The expiry date refers to the last day of that month.
• Do not throw away any medicines via wastewater or household waste. Ask your pharmacist how to throw away medicines you no longer use. These measures will help protect the environment.

What EMLA Cream 5% contains

• The active substances are lidocaine and prilocaine. Each gram of cream contains 25 mg of lidocaine and 25 mg of prilocaine.
• The other ingredients are macrogolglycerol hydroxystearate, Carbomer 974P, sodium hydroxide and purified water.

What EMLA Cream 5% looks like and contents of the pack

EMLA Cream 5% is a white soft cream. The cream will come in a pack containing single 30g tube of cream without any dressings.

A wooden spatula is enclosed to aid application of your cream if required.

Contents

• 30g tube of EMLA Cream - 5% Lidocaine / Prilocaine
• Wooden spatula

References and useful links for more information on EMLA Cream - 5% Lidocaine / Prilocaine:

• National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE): https://bnf.nice.org.uk/drugs/lidocaine-with-prilocaine/#patient-and-carer-advice
• NHS: https://www.nhs.uk/medicines/lidocaine-skin-cream/
• Report an issue with a medicine to the MHRA Yellow Card scheme: https://yellowcard.mhra.gov.uk/